It was the boys' first sleep-over and both mothers were nervous about it. Camden's mother was nervous because Camden had never slept over another house before, and sometimes he had nightmares that made him cry. Liam's mother was nervous because Camden was a picky eater. Her grocery budget strained against the cost of “allergen free.”
Fortunately, Camden came with a small suitcase full of snacks and “the right noodles.” Liam was happy to have a friend that no one else seemed to understand. Camden came up with good games and knew the names of every Pokemon. Liam didn't criticize Camden when the games stopped making sense, and Liam was always happy to take any food that Camden couldn't eat.
The bunk bed was Liam's father's idea. He replaced Liam's wooden bed with a black aluminum bunk over the course of two days. The set had included tools for assembly and an instruction packet, both left on Liam's dresser next to the boy's collection of resin-cast cartoon characters.
“Sleep overs! Just like when I was a kid.” Liam's father had a lot of when-I-was-a-kid stories. “My friends and I got up to some crazy stuff! Did I ever tell you about how we'd slam your uncle into a tree?”
“Yes,” Liam's mother sighed, disapproving.
Father winked at his son. “Good times,” he assured the boy.
Liam was skeptical of being body slammed into trees, but the bunk bed was a good idea. The lower bed frame could serve as extra storage or a flat surface for hobby car tracks.
Camden was disgorged from his mother's van just before noon. He was laden with a stuffed backpack and a snap-latch hardcase box full of acceptable food. Liam joined his friend on the short walk to the front porch.
“I'm allergic to eggs now,” Camden had said in the same flat, dutiful voice he always used when he proclaimed a newly discovered food taboo. Liam nodded the same way he had at Camden's announcements concerning tree nuts, wheat, sucralose, and blue food dye. The two separated themselves from the adults' conversation in order to rush upstairs and establish their sleeping arrangement.
In Liam's room, Camden dumped the contents of his backpack on the bottom bunk. The Amazing Mastroni's Amateur Magician's Toolkit was, indeed, superior to the “disappearing pencil box” trick Camden had shown Liam early that week.
“Mom got me a new set yesterday! Look! There's break-away handcuffs, and a hat, these magic cards ‐ they have little dots on the back so you can see which ones to choose ‐ and there's even a wand!” Camden waved the black white-tipped plastic tube with flourish. Liam caught the small sponge balls as they rolled away from the hollow, rubber thumb.